Guess who’s outraged over hilarious sitcom about Muslims? --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=081lMuVUpYw
On Aug 30, 9:59 am, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > ** > BareNakedIslam posted: "OMG! Muslims mocking themselves on TV. Is that > halal? Well, at least one Muslim, author of this article, appreciates the > self-deprecating humor of 'Citizen Khan' and doesn't find it 'racist' or > 'Islamophobic.' UK DAILY MAIL (H/T Rob E) On Monday nigh" > New post on *BARE NAKED ISLAM* > <http://www.endtimestoday.com/?author=1> Guess who’s outraged over > hilarious sitcom about > Muslims?<http://www.barenakedislam.com/2012/08/30/guess-whos-outraged-over-hil...>by > BareNakedIslam <http://www.endtimestoday.com/?author=1> > OMG! Muslims mocking themselves on TV. Is that halal? Well, at least one > Muslim, author of this article, appreciates the self-deprecating humor of > 'Citizen Khan' and doesn't find it 'racist' or 'Islamophobic.' > > <http://www.barenakedislam.com/2012/08/30/guess-whos-outraged-over-hil...> > UK DAILY > MAIL<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2195459/Citizen-Khan-Offens...> > (H/T Rob E) On Monday night, I laughed out loud as I watched the first > episode of BBC1’s new comedy series Citizen Khan, about a Muslim community > leader and his family. As someone with the surname Khan — and as a British > Muslim who grew up in Nottingham’s Asian community in the Seventies — if > anyone was going to be offended by the mickey-taking, surely it would > be me. But > no, I loved the sitcom and tweeted my congratulations to its creator and > star, Adil Ray, as soon as it finished. *At last, I thought, a home-grown > sitcom that allowed British Muslims to laugh at themselves.* Good on the > BBC for finally realising the comic potential in one of the biggest > communities that make up modern Britain. Of course, it’s a shame it took > the Beeb 40 years, but it got there eventually. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meenVyNo2Uw > *However, the next day I discovered that my views ran counter to many, who > criticised the programme for ridiculing Islam and for containing > ‘stereotypes about Asians’. The Twittersphere positively boiled with > righteous, religious indignation. * Yesterday the BBC received more > complaints from viewers and religious leaders about the first episode. It > is believed the number has risen to 600. The comedy is billed as a humorous > take on the lives of an ordinary Muslim family living in today’s > Britain. *However, > critics claim it stereotypes Muslims and is ‘disrespectful to the > Koran’. * Syed > Arshadeem, of the Union of Muslim Organisations of UK and Ireland, said it > was important to strike a balance between good comedy and the feelings of > the community, but that ‘a large proportion of Muslims will be unamused by > the negative stereotypes because it leads to misrepresentation’. *One > viewer said the programme had ‘ridiculed’ and ‘insulted’ Islam, adding it > had been a ‘mocking show’.* > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN6QI-2S0IM > Oh, please! Never mind that the programme attracted an audience of almost > 3.5 million in a late-night slot — the only thing that some people want to > talk about are the clichés, the stereotypes and the insults. This is most > odd, I thought, because I don’t remember the Irish getting so hot and > bothered by the TV sitcom Father Ted, which is full of Irish stereotypes. A > certain scene in Citizen Khan seems to have caused particular offence. It > was when Mr Khan — the sort of splendidly self-important community leader I > recognised instantly — came home, and his glamorous daughter pulled on her > headscarf to hide her fully made-up face and started to read the Koran. *Among > those who complained, many accused the show’s British Muslim creator of > insulting the Koran and demeaning the hijab (the headscarf) and what it > stands for. * > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTroiDQIog > But that’s nonsense. Muslim girls like this can be found in any big city in > Britain. I see them every time I go shopping — gorgeous-looking girls > peering out from under their casually draped headscarves. I grew up with > many such girls, too. And ironically, these girls were the clever ones. When > I was younger and crashing around — causing no end of family upset by > saying I couldn’t see the point in wearing a headscarf and declaring that > I wanted to be more British than Muslim — these girls were the smart > cookies who realised that life would be easier if they just combined a > little Muslim modesty with their otherwise fairly Western lifestyles. Such > girls realised that as long as their father saw them going through the > dutiful motions, he would be happy that they had remained loyal to their > family traditions. It was this understanding that made the scene so funny. > It was so true to real life. Adil Ray should get full marks for using his > childhood and life experiences to such tremendous comic effect. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uQ8tZN-DsQ > And there’s so much else that rings true here about the daily life of > British Muslims — from Khan’s obsession with saving money to the point that > he buys toilet roll in bulk (it’s this sort of trait that makes British > Muslims such good businessmen) to Mrs Khan’s preoccupation with what her > friends and neighbours will think. This is British Muslim family life > through and through. It’s also interesting — and, more to the point, > accurate to much of real life — that Mrs Khan does not always wear the > hijab while her daughters are under pressure to do so. That’s because when > the Khan parents came to Britain in the Sixties or Seventies, as mine did, > they wanted to embrace the culture of their new home, and so they cast off > cultural symbols, such as the hijab, that would obviously single them out > as different. But 40 years on, things have turned full circle — and one of > the Khan daughters feels confident enough to want to show her commitment > to their Muslim religion. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdQxDO1lBJc > When a new show is getting even these small details right, it’s clear its > makers know exactly what they are talking about. That why the clever team > behind Citizen Khan deserve the praise of the British Muslim community — > not unsmiling criticism. Defending the show, the BBC said it had made ‘a > very positive start’ and that new comedy always provoked ‘differing > reactions’. The characters were comedy creations not meant to represent the > community as a whole. For my part, I’m a fairly secular Muslim these days, > but I know my feelings will be shared by many of my friends who embrace our > religion more enthusiastically. Even a former Secretary General of the > Muslim Council of Britain, Yousuf Bhailok, said it was ‘the best thing the > BBC has done recently’. He added: ‘There is great humour among Muslims. I > am glad it has been made.’ > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EaayNt4xzs > The truth is that collectively we’re sick and tired of the fact that every > time something news- worthy connected to the Muslim faith happens, some > bearded senior man is wheeled out to comment upon it — in normally slightly > ominous and always doom-laden tones. Such an image suggests humour is not > something that you associate with British Muslims. But in truth it should > be. Heck, the Irish can laugh at themselves, and so can the Scots, the > Welsh and even — thanks to the likes of stand-up comic Michael McIntyre — > the English. The Jewish community, of course, are brilliant at laughing at > themselves. What is it, though, about the British Muslims — particularly > those of Pakistani origin? Are they simply too po-faced to join in? > > *BareNakedIslam <http://www.endtimestoday.com/?author=1>* | August 30, > 2012 at 4:15 am | Categories: Laughing at > Islam<http://www.endtimestoday.com/?cat=7480548>| URL:http://wp.me/p276zM-KMu > > > Comment<http://www.barenakedislam.com/2012/08/30/guess-whos-outraged-over-hil...> > See all > comments<http://www.barenakedislam.com/2012/08/30/guess-whos-outraged-over-hil...> > > Unsubscribe or change your email settings at Manage > Subscriptions<https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=80d8873ee52adffe4e178d01c25562cf...>. > > *Trouble clicking?* Copy and paste this URL into your > browser:http://www.barenakedislam.com/2012/08/30/guess-whos-outraged-over-hil... -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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